Ground up leaves and stems to the recycled soi bin?

[Iron_Lion]

I pretty much started doing this to dispose of garden waste.

I keep a bin of spent soil and I have been adding ground up leaves and pieces of chopped up stems. My thought is that the leaf will eventually decompose and provide a leafy compost effect to the soil.

And the stems is to replace the woody chunks that were in the in the original store bought mix, and perhaps add some aeration to the soil.

Im trying to turn my soil into more of like a forest floor type soil by continually adding fresh compostable material as the soil gets used then recycled again.

Anyone see any harm that may come from doing it this way? My main concern is how materials decompose and become available to the plant. I recently had bad burning from using bone meal and blood meal, I'd hate to have something like that happen again.

 

[mad librettist]

that's pretty much what I do.

the really thick stems I use to make a ring around the outside edge of the pot, then I cover them with worm compost, then sow clover seed on top of that.

leaf and small stem you can just leave on the soil surface.

 

[mugenbao]

the really thick stems I use to make a ring around the outside edge of the pot

Wondering if you would elaborate on this... Is the ring just a convenience, or does it serve some purpose?

I usually just add the leaf and stem material to my worm bin, mostly just for convenience.

 

[mad librettist]

Wondering if you would elaborate on this... Is the ring just a convenience, or does it serve some purpose?

I usually just add the leaf and stem material to my worm bin, mostly just for convenience.

it is kind of an indoor Hügelkultur type thing.

I make a ring because it's convenient. I am returning everything to the soil because I want to grow it. It made it, it can eat it.



The clover, EWC, and whatever else I add is to help with the nutrients needed to break down the wood.

 

[guest2012y]

I pretty much started doing this to dispose of garden waste.

I keep a bin of spent soil and I have been adding ground up leaves and pieces of chopped up stems. My thought is that the leaf will eventually decompose and provide a leafy compost effect to the soil.

And the stems is to replace the woody chunks that were in the in the original store bought mix, and perhaps add some aeration to the soil.

Im trying to turn my soil into more of like a forest floor type soil by continually adding fresh compostable material as the soil gets used then recycled again.

Anyone see any harm that may come from doing it this way? My main concern is how materials decompose and become available to the plant. I recently had bad burning from using bone meal and blood meal, I'd hate to have something like that happen again.

This is exactly what I've been doing for over a year now. I have a pair of scissors I use to even cut up the stems. This material is consumed quickly and just builds the soil anyway.

Sometimes I will mop up spilled soil with them and then add them to the pot,or do like Mad does and dose them with a topdress of EWC.

 

[IE2KS_KUSH]

Re: Ground up leaves and stems to the recycled soi bin?

I do this...add leaf and stems waste to soil bins as well as just tossing it onto the surface of the soil in my currently growing gals..no rhyme or reason just use it as a mulch, stems too. And eventually I cover with ewc and then just keep repeating as needed. Usually a good layer lasts through flowering but my mum I add more as it disappeares. I reuse 100% all plant material one way or the other..the soil bin gets it too. Only way anything leaves my place is in MY SHIT...literally. Seems to be fine.

 

[IE2KS_KUSH]

Re: Ground up leaves and stems to the recycled soi bin?

^^ I mean the soil..but my shit seems fine too I guess

 

[unthing]

forest floor type soil sounds great!

i've mixed chopped stems and ground up leaves before, but not in no-till type of way, but planning to do so.

 

[supermanlives]

all mine goes back into the wormbin and soil. except for the thickest stems.